Interloper
by mintos013
Summary: AU: Hoji intervenes during the final fight with Shishio. Warning for violence and language.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

**Interloper**

* * *

"He's feeling it," Hajime Saitou said, finally on his feet again. He watched the wounded animal scrape its way upright, and denied his instinct to rush forward and detach its head immediately. For now this was still the Battousai's fight, and it seemed Himura finally had the upper hand.

_But is he still too soft to finish the job?_ Saitou wondered skeptically. If that turned out to be the case, the former Shinsengumi captain had no qualms about picking up wherever Himura chose to stop. For the sake of Japan, Saitou would deny the anarchist Makoto Shishio any chance of survival, and he would not hesitate to knock out any interfering, self-righteous redheads that tried to get in the way of his justice either.

_Aku. Soku. Zan. Slay evil immediately._

There could be no other way.

Aoshi Shinomori knelt nearby to Saitou's left, perhaps still too wrung out to get up and be of any practical use. To Saitou's far right Sanosuke Sagara remained bleeding against the wall of the private battleground, and thankfully out of everyone's way. The street brawler was alert and alive at any rate.

_So, what will you do now?_ Saitou waited, narrow eyes on the Battousai's slumping shoulders and the long slash dividing the younger man's back. Saitou sensed movement and flicked his yellow gaze towards Shishio's people.

"Lord Shishio…" Hoji Sadojima half-whimpered as his leader, the investment of all his money and faith, struggled to get up from the debris strewn ground. Yumi's words echoed in Hoji's mind:

_His limits! His body has limits! Doctor Maro said he can't do anything strenuous for more than fifteen minutes! You have to stop him!_

But if Himura overcame his limits, why couldn't Lord Shishio? Hoji shook his head in disbelief; his pinpoint eyes soaking in what was obviously a mistake. This couldn't be right. Lord Shishio was dying. Lord Shishio was unable to get up, and the enemy was mere feet away! A thick wad of salvia spilled forth from Shishio's throat and he dropped his sword.

_No. No. No! I have to have faith. Get up, Lord Shishio! You're the strongest! Now get up!_ Hoji's bandaged fingers curled and uncurled anxiously. _If you don't get up… If you don't—I'll have to... No! That won't be necessary. You will get up because you are the strongest! Please, Lord Shishio!_

* * *

It was probably his exhaustion, but Kenshin Himura swore he saw stray fireflies wandering near Yumi Komagata as she watched her lover scratch his nails brutally across the grotesque wound spanning his chest. Or maybe it was a trick of the light that caused Himura to glance her way. He wished he hadn't. Standing there she reminded him very much of another person. Kenshin tried to forget the worry in her eyes as his own focus snapped back to Shishio. The rurouni wanderer couldn't help but wonder exactly what was going on in that man's body to make him tear at his own skin and utter such pain drenched noises. Kenshin—no, everyone—was transfixed by Shishio's display.

In his current state Shishio was neither a samurai nor an anarchist—nor did he retain any of the precise movements belonging to a hitokiri assassin. All of those identities had been utterly stripped away by Kenshin's strongest attack, the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. Shishio found himself an animal trapped in the cage of his own body. The agony was inescapable. His own unnaturally hot blood was blistering him from the inside.

Yumi's anxiety was just as palpable in the air as Shishio's torment. Kenshin could sense her terror and felt a fresh pang of pity for this woman who loved Shishio. But even if Shishio were cherished by Yumi, the man was still an agent of chaos; a monster in his death throes who wished to overthrow the young Meiji government and cast Japan back into a sea of hysteria and bloodshed. This man could not be allowed to take up his sword and rise again.

Kenshin's own sword weighed him down. Every movement took extra thought and effort as his body was pushed absolutely to its limits. His breathing was too fast and he was too injured. If Shishio attacked again—if he poured all of his advantage and body weight into trying to crush Kenshin—

The rurouni felt the eyes of his allies watching him, waiting to see if he would break his oath to never again kill another person. He began moving. His successor's eyes were rolled back in anguish, and horrible, straining noises leaked from deep within the pit of his chest. The bandages that protected his burnt skin were beginning to uncoil. Saliva hung from the corners of his mouth. Shishio gnashed his teeth and raked his nails across his ruined skin. Did a man like this even count as human any more? Kenshin thought of fireflies again… and Ms. Kaoru.

_Does that mean… you're going to assassinate Makoto Shishio?_

Back then the answer to her question had been uncertain. Now, however, Kenshin could tell her confidently that he would most certainly not be killing anyone ever again, no matter who they were or what they'd done. One swift blow to the head and Shishio would fall unconscious and that would be enough to protect Japan. Shishio could be taken into police custody from there.

_It'll be over soon, Ms. Kaoru,_ Kenshin promised and approached Shishio carefully.

* * *

Yumi clutched the clock in her hands to her chest, desperately wanting to help her lover, but what could she do? What could someone as weaponless and weak and overall useless as she—Her eyes widened with realization. Of course! She could buy Lord Shishio time just like Aoshi Shinomori and the others had done for Himura! She could shield Lord Shishio with her body and beg that horrible little red haired samurai to spare her lover's life. She'd play on Himura's oath never to kill again. It was worth any risk! Lord Shishio was her everything.

But before Yumi could put her hasty plan into action, a sound that belonged only to summer storms echoed across the broken up arena, and every thought of begging for Shishio's life fled from Yumi's mind. Fear was replaced by joy on her lovely face. She smiled beautifully. She dropped the clock and didn't care when the sound of it breaking chased after her. Yumi rushed to her lord's side without sparing the Battousai another glance.

* * *

"Battousai! I won't let you!" Hoji yelled. "Anything for Lord Shishio!" He shot again, and this time he didn't miss.

There was no more running or leaping—the Battousai had no energy left for any of that. It was all happening too fast for anyone to react beyond gasping and crying out futile warnings. The bullet's path shocked the grace right out of the samurai's lightweight body. The Battousai's feet twisted together as he stumbled back, throwing his sword out horizontally in an awkward attempt for balance.

Hoji's grin was manic delight. "Die! Die! Die! That's right!" He took aim and fired again, but his fingers were shaking so much from the adrenaline coursing through him that Hoji's third shot missed the Battousai by nearly a foot. Despite his injuries, the samurai somehow managed to contort, duck, and evade the fourth and fifth shots as well.

_He's not human! What is he!_ Hoji inwardly quailed. _Why doesn't the Battousai fall down!_

* * *

Kenshin stabbed his sakabatou _reversed blade sword_into the ground just in time to give his body an anchor; saving himself from a hard meeting with the floor. He leaned heavily on the sword while grasping his right side with his left hand. The lacerated skin burned like boiling water. The bullet had entered, traveled a very shallow path (so shallow it could be seen through his outermost layer of skin), and burst free, leaving an elongated exit wound safe inches below his liver. Despite the shallowness of the injury, the pain it caused was intense. Kenshin's side was scalding with the burn of it. He felt as if he'd been cut in half. Kenshin glared up at the coward who'd shot him and started thinking of ways to survive this situation. He was also mentally kicking himself for not paying closer attention to Shishio's minion.

* * *

Hoji only had one bullet left and then he would have to reload his imported replica revolver. Knowing this, his sharp eyes kept all of Lord Shishio's enemies within sight, especially Hajime Saitou, who lurked on the peripheral of Hoji's vision. Shinomori and Sagara were closing in on the Battousai, but that would just make them easier to pick off after Hoji seized a chance to reload. Hoji looked at them but kept his true attention on the Wolf of Mibu, who was statue still.

_It's just like before—he's using his allies as bait,_ Hoji knew. Small droplets of sweat escaped the clever man's hairline as he evaluated this realization. _When he moves to strike me I'll let him come—I'll shoot that military dog in the head! That'll put Hajime Saitou down for good._

* * *

Sanosuke made it to his friend's side at last. "Kenshin!"

Red bangs were hiding his face from Sano's view, and he was hunched over his sword, so Sano had trouble telling exactly where the shorter man had been shot. He steadied Kenshin with his left hand; gripping a small shoulder firmly as he tried to assess the situation and keep an eye on Hoji's movements. For some reason the guy had stopped shooting. Sano wasn't sure what he'd do if the lunatic started firing again. Sano's right hand was broken and vibrating with pain. His face was sticky with blood, and his body ached all over from his battle with Anji. Sure he'd keep fighting to the bitter end, but how useful would he really be? How could he help Kenshin like this?

Sano sighed. _Busted hand. Gunshot wounds. The Vixen's gonna love all this. Watch her come running all the way to Kyoto just to yell at us when she hears about it._

Despite everything, Sano's mouth twitched in and out of a brief smile. He glanced up from Kenshin and saw that Aoshi was close by. The former Oniwabanshu leader had reclaimed one of his kodachi from the ground and was regarding Hoji with contemptuous green eyes. Sano noticed the look on Aoshi's face, and, feeling pretty pissed himself, decided to voice the question that was surely on everyone's mind.

"Hey! Just what the hell do you think you're doing!" the street fighter snarled at the smug man in his green, fur trimmed coat. "What happened to all that shit you said about having faith in your boss? Huh!" Sano's brown irises were molten with anger. His broken fist was curled and shaking and lifted as if he could actually use it. "Answer me!"

"You thug…you're the last person here that I have to answer to," Hoji sneered, his gun cocked and ready. "Street trash such as you doesn't even deserve to be here! But suffice it to say that I'll do everything in my power to make sure that Lord Shishio succeeds—even if that means protecting him from himself," Hoji responded with chilling sincerity. "I won't let him die. Even if he hates me for this—it doesn't matter. Can't you fools understand? This country needs Lord Shishio! Without him the West will consume all of Japan! Is that what you want!"

He kept his gun trained on Kenshin. He seemed to be debating his options. He seemed confident and nervous. What was Hoji waiting for?

_Why doesn't he just finish Kenshin off?_ Sano wondered. _Is he afraid to actually kill someone? Is he waiting on Shishio's permission? Or is he waiting for something else…? Maybe he's out of bullets and just bluffing!_

Kenshin groaned softly, slipping forward. Sano caught him quickly in the crook of his left arm. Immediately his concern switched from Hoji's schemes to the rurouni's welfare.

"Hey, take it easy. Where'd he get you, Kenshin?" Sano scanned the litany of cuts, burns, and bruises covering his friend's bare torso. His eyes were constantly drawn to the hideous results of Shishio's Guren Kaina, as well as the chunk of flesh missing from his buddy's shoulder. A gunshot wound combined with such grisly injuries, how was Kenshin even aware?

_It's his will to win the fight I guess_, Sano reasoned. _I was the same way before, with Anji. But we're not built the same, Kenshin. Your body's gonna collapse. That bullet wound can't be too bad though if you're still standing, can it? Where is it?_

"Here," Kenshin grunted through clenched teeth, prying his bloody hand up only for a moment before shoving it back into place. "It's not fatal, Sano… The bullet's path was very shallow. It's practically a scratch compared to the damage it could have caused," he explained in a stinted voice.

"That's a hell of a scratch," Sano retorted, resenting Kenshin's flippancy. "Will you just let me worry about you? Shishio's down and you've done enough, got it? We've got to—"

* * *

Aoshi disappeared into a fluid movement, blurring from existence.

"Don't you dare!" Hoji screamed the threat, wheeling his aim from Kenshin to the former Oniwabanshu leader, and Aoshi froze, closer now to where Shishio was silently regaining his composure.

Aoshi's kodachi was ready to twirl and strike.

The hairs on the back of Hoji's neck stood high. He whipped the revolver around towards Saitou and took a step backwards to better his coverage of both Aoshi and the policeman.  
"Stop right there!" Hoji cried.

Sano and Yumi both looked to see Saitou in his first gatotsu stance. His left hand held his katana by the hilt and his right hand was stretched out, poised above the blade's tip. His golden eyes slid from Shishio and Yumi to glower at Hoji and the gun.

"Move one inch you military dog and I'll shoot them!" Hoji swore to Saitou, quickly readjusting his aim to rest once more on the Battousai and Sagara. Not only were these two relatively defenseless in their current states, but aiming at them would give Hoji equal leverage to shoot either Aoshi or Saitou, whichever attacked first.

"Go ahead," Saitou said coldly. "Kill them. Or shoot me if you like. Either way, one of us will get to him," he assured with a small tilt of his head to indicate Aoshi, who was fully focused on Shishio as well. "Then again… perhaps you can take aim and fire quickly enough even at such a short range to take both of us out simultaneously." Saitou's mouth curved into a slight smirk. "There's only one way to find out."

* * *

Sanosuke tucked Kenshin to his side, mindful of the so-called scratch his buddy was protecting. Kenshin's hand had a death grip on the sakabatou and both blue eyes were staring straight ahead. Although he was breathing in harsh gasps, it was clear to Sano that his friend wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet.

"Look, let them finish this," Sano tried. "The moment one of them draws that guy's fire it'll be over. Don't worry. Your last attack put Shishio in such a state that even our Yahiko could finish him off."

"You're wrong," Kenshin warned, but most of his strength was concentrated into overcoming the pain and exhaustion he felt. He had to get over it so he could finish this battle. While everyone else was so focused on Hoji's gun, Kenshin knew that Makoto Shishio was busy overcoming his limits. The monster was waking up fast. Couldn't they sense it? The flames shooting up from his petroleum reserves were as high as ever. His swordsman spirit was rising in power every moment.

"After they kill him we're getting the hell out of this place," Sano assured both himself and his friend. "I've had about enough of Kyoto to last for awhile, how about you?"  
Kenshin's grimacing ceased with a gasp. His eyes widened. "Sano!"

The street fighter panicked, first thinking his friend had taken a turn for the worst. He quickly realized his error and followed Kenshin's gaze. He echoed Kenshin's reaction in every way. It couldn't be!

_Shit!_ Sano inwardly swore. It'd taken him awhile, but Shishio was clearly coming around.

* * *

Shishio's head was finally getting past the pain blazing throughout his being. His blood was sizzling beneath his skin. He was conscious of the layers of fat coating his muscles. His fingers touched the hilt of his sword. He felt Yumi's hands on his face. What was she doing? Her soft palms were probably getting burned. He jerked his chin back, breaking their contact.

_"What the fuck is going on?"_ Shishio growled to her. His anger was fueled by both pain and confusion. His grip on his sword, Mugenjin, strengthened. _"Where is Himura?"_

"Please," Yumi begged, not caring one bit about her soft palms. "Please, you have to rest!" She touched his arm and recoiled instantly. He was hotter there! Too hot! What would happen if she couldn't get him cooled down fast enough? The fear washed over her again just as she heard the heavy locks and gears of the inferno room's outermost set of enormous doors churning from far away. Could that be help coming? It had to be!

_Hoji, you're a genius!_

"Lord Shishio," Hoji whispered reverently, but his relief was short-lived.

Saitou and Aoshi rushed forward; both intent on killing Shishio. Hoji shot his last bullet with a scream of denial and managed to catch Shinomori.

The former Oniwabanshu leader snarled, pulled in his left arm, and tripped into a violent tumble. His kodachi flew from his hand as his body hit the ground. Aoshi slid only a short distance before twisting awkwardly back up onto his knees. He held his wounded left arm and looked to see if Saitou had at least succeeded.

What met Saitou was a torrent of brilliant flames. Shishio had shoved Yumi aside, moved before her, and dragged his serrated blade along the ground in time to perform a desperate _Homura Dama_. He swung his flaming sword up, parrying Saitou's katana in a powerful display of strength. The katana was knocked from Saitou's fingers, which were instantly numbed by the impacting blade's resonance. Saitou's eyes were uncharacteristically wide as the world shrank down to nothing but fire and Shishio's smirking crimson eyes.

"Ha! "Shishio cried and brought his sword back down, gripping the hilt with both hands. He'd slice the government dog in half!

Saitou overcame his shock and weaved deftly out of the falling blade's reach. The wounds on Saitou's thighs spat blood as the Wolf of Mibu sprung forward again and threw his fist into the large slash dividing Shishio's chest. The anarchist was getting too slow in his weakened state to evade it, and besides, in any battle a powerful thrust was always quicker than a cut. Saitou's knuckles dug deeply into the large wound wrought by Kenshin's _Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki_ and Shishio was flung backwards, blood erupting from his mouth. Yumi's and Hoji's screams echoed pleasantly in Saitou's ears; he grinned wickedly as Shishio's body fell away from his fist and hit the ground, sprawled and unconscious.

Without hesitation the Wolf of Mibu yelled, running forward. His legs were beyond pain for the moment. He fell on Shishio, snatching a bandaged shoulder and rearing back his other hand, palm arched, and brought it down with the intent to crush Shishio's nose into the back of his skull. Of course, that was when Yumi threw herself into Saitou and used her velocity to shove him off of her lover. Her cries and threats were barely intelligible, but her vicious nails were loud and clear. She tore at every open wound that she could reach on Saitou's body, until at last the policeman managed to snatch her by the forearms and slam Yumi into the ground.

Saitou was breathing hard as he pushed himself up and away from her. Resting on his palms and side, Saitou watched Yumi crawl sloppily back to Shishio. She was crying and terrified to touch him. Her scraped up hands hovered helplessly over the fallen warrior.

Saitou's katana lay harmlessly out of reach. His eyes lifted as Hoji loomed over him.

"But I heard the doors!" Yumi cried. "Hoji, what's taking them so long to get here?"

Hoji cocked the gun and aimed it with dramatic flair at Saitou's head. He was feeling pretty impressed with himself. "Don't worry, Yumi. Everything is under control."  
Saitou felt no fear, only the bitterness of dying under the power of a man like Hoji Sadojima. There would be no meaning in such an execution. It couldn't end like this.

"Saitou!" Sagara called. "What are you doing! Get up already!"

But it was going to.

Hoji's eyes were framed in shadows. A full-blown grin shined across his face. He savored the power he felt; the confidence rushing through his veins. He stared straight into Saitou's golden eyes and pulled the trigger.

Click.  
Click. Click. Click.

Terror swept through Hoji. The chamber was empty. He'd forgotten to reload the damn thing! He started backing up, scrambling in his pockets as Saitou realized this as well. Bullets slipped from Hoji's fingers and clattered when they hit the ground. In his panic the man was dropping them everywhere.

The Wolf of Mibu smiled, and was about to comment, but the private arena's red doors split apart as about sixty of Shishio's soldiers swarmed into the battleground, screaming their leader's name and drawing their weapons. The sound of gunfire had been their signal to come as backup and, if necessary, to help evacuate Shishio. They even carried what looked like bundles of soaked blankets to cool the warrior's body temperature.

Saitou used their distraction to roll, lunge, and reclaim his katana. He lurched up to his feet and wheeled around, ready to fight again. He glanced to his left and saw that the same determination to simply keep fighting and endure had pushed Aoshi up as well.

The odds were ridiculous. The black-clad soldiers were suddenly everywhere.

"Protect Lord Shishio!" Hoji bellowed to them, running to be closer to his leader. "Bring the blankets!"

"Dr. Maro! Quick, hurry!" Yumi pleaded of her lover's personal doctor upon seeing the stout man approach. Two men followed him with armfuls of soaked blankets, which were quickly tossed and wrapped around Shishio. Yumi helped cocoon his body in the dripping wetness. The blankets were freezing! And yet steam rose from where ever they touched her lover's overheated body.

Immediately Kenshin's comrades found themselves embroiled in a series of private battles with Shishio's soldiers. It was disorienting to see so many of the pawns racing about after assuming for so long that the fortress had been emptied of all but the strongest Juppongatana. Apparently some of Shishio's army had been kept up Hoji's sleeve as a last resort.

Aoshi relied on his hand-to-hand combat skills to survive until he was able to get his kodachi back, while Saitou exercised his katana to the best of his ability. Both fighters were slowed by their serious injuries, but that only meant that they were not able to kill as swiftly as usual. They were merciless. Even injured they were in a higher league than these pawns. They held nothing back as they threw themselves into one match after another, twirling and slicing and spilling blood. But there were so many! And very soon Saitou and Aoshi were no longer killing men. They were just wounding them and moving on to the next target. Both of them knew that if they stopped moving they might not be able to start again.

"This is bad!" Sano proclaimed, thinking of his broken fist and the shape his buddy was in. Sano ran and narrowly dodged attacks with Kenshin roped under one arm. Saitou and Aoshi were drawing the most attention, but there were still plenty of bad guys coming after Sanosuke. He skidded to a halt near a wall, where at least his back would be protected.

Kenshin pushed off from Sano, wobbling until he found his footing. His sword was still in hand.

"Kenshin!" Sano's attention was divided between his friend and the three ninja-wannabes charging towards them.

"I'm fine!" the rurouni assured, leaning on his sword again, but not so much as before. His amethyst eyes were focused beyond the street fighter. "Sano!"

"Don't worry! I'll take every last one of them out even if I can't use my right fist! You just stay there!" Sano swore and rushed the assailants like a bull. He rolled over them, using his strong legs and shoulders to fling them aside. The moment they went down more soldiers surged forth to take their place, but Sano refused to let any of them past his body.

Kenshin gripped the shallow but painful wound on his side with his left hand and spread his feet to keep himself upright. The long pause in his own battle had given him time to recover some of his strength. He scanned the arena quickly. Shishio was still down, but his wounds were being fussed over. He was alive then. Saitou and Aoshi were surrounded by corpses. They'd killed or severely wounded at least thirty of the sixty or so men. Sano was surpassing the odds as well, although it was clear that he was only knocking men down and not killing them. Kenshin located Hoji and realized that he was reloading his gun. He saw the man glancing up at Aoshi, who was the closest. Every time Hoji filled a chamber his gaze grew more and more determined. He was going to shoot Aoshi, then Saitou, then Sano, and he'd do it while their backs were turned. The cowardice of such an action infuriated Kenshin.

Baring his teeth, the rurouni dashed forward, sword leading. He would knock out Hoji. Of course he couldn't summon his godlike speed but it didn't matter. He just had to be quick! Kenshin used the pain burning below his liver to fuel his strength of will. He screamed; a dragon about to crush its enemy.

A black-covered body leapt and crashed into him, sending Kenshin to the ground where both men rolled over the stone floor's rubble. Kenshin curled up, still holding his sakabatou, and growled out a murderous scream. He willed himself to get up again. He couldn't lift more than his head. Kenshin looked and saw the man whom had intervened lying several feet away. The man's neck was bent unnaturally. Perhaps he'd landed on his head. For a brief instance Kenshin feared that he'd gotten his own body paralyzed, but he could feel everything. Everything just wasn't responding to him yet.

More enemies approached the rurouni from all sides, but Kenshin's loud, harsh breathing kept Shishio's soldiers at bay. They encircled him cautiously as if Kenshin were a deadly viper with one last death strike possibly left in its fangs. Kenshin finally managed to flop over onto his back, his sword still gripped tight. His breathing became even more erratic. He heard the sounds of his friends still fighting, but they seemed so far away.

The circle of men broke to allow Hoji through. He approached the fallen warrior with confident strides, the gun secure in his grip. Hoji's shadow fell over the little samurai. He could easily take aim and blast the Battousai's skull into an unrecognizable mess, but then Lord Shishio would be denied the honor of destroying his greatest rival.

"Drop your sword, Battousai" Hoji ordered. He pointed the handgun at Himura's head as he stepped on the samurai's right wrist.

Amethyst eyes snapped open and were so full of anger that Hoji gasped. The limb pinned under Hoji's foot jerked itself free. Before Hoji could recover, the Battousai was sitting up and smacking the flat side of his sakabatou against Hoji's legs. This brought Shishio's follower to his knees and made it much easier for the Battousai to ram the pommel of his sword into Hoji's stomach, just below his liver. Hoji gagged and crumpled forward, clutching his belly.

The gun was dropped, but Kenshin was grabbed by half a dozen hands and hauled away from it.

A man fisted his red hair and pulled Kenshin's head back, exposing his throat. Two others grabbed his arms. Kenshin fought to raise his sword. He was trapped on his knees. He would not die like this! Not at the hands of such people! He kicked his legs out and threw everyone off balance. Then he tried to spring into a roll, but the hands latched onto his arms, his shoulders, the fabric of his hakama—they yanked him backwards and pushed him back to his knees. They were trying to push him down flat but the rurouni wouldn't let them. Since there was no way to evade them, Kenshin pushed back against them, straining to get from his knees to his feet.

Hoji's nerves were as frazzled as his hair. He snatched his weapon up. He crouched very close to the struggling rurourni and jabbed a hand, fingers stiff, straight into the ex-hitokiri's wounded side. Kenshin could not catch the scream that tore from his throat. His head fell back willingly, his vision of the sky doubled, and it only grew worse as Hoji retracted his fingers from the gore. Everyone in the inferno room was caught by the rurouni's scream. Everyone on both sides looked long enough to assess the situation, and then threw themselves back into battle.

"Fool! Don't you know when you've been defeated?" Hoji asked incredulously. He held up hot, sticky fingers for Kenshin to see. "Drop your sword now, Battousai… or I'll dig until I find something to pull out," Hoji promised through clenched teeth. The shadows on his face made his eyes appear small and sinister.

Kenshin instinctively tried to curl the wounded side of his body away from Hoji, but the man grabbed him around the middle and helped Shishio's other minions pin Kenshin down. With Hoji's weight crushing his chest Kenshin couldn't breathe. His eyes widened as he gasped for precious air. Prying fingers mashed and pulled at Kenhin's right hand and wrist until he could hardly feel himself holding the hilt. His own fingers went numb and the sakabatou was torn away. The hands released him. Kenshin was left in Hoji's grasp. Hoji sat back on his heels and held Kenshin like a fallen comrade. Both of them were breathing hard.

He couldn't move. His body was done. All he could do was catch his breath and glare furiously up at the man who had shot him. For the life of him, Kenshin couldn't even remember the man's name. He only recalled that he'd been at Shishio's side on the Purgatory; that he was one of the Juppongatana.

_And he's… the one we should have been watching. He's… men like him… are as dangerous as…_

* * *

**The end**


End file.
